Telegraph key



July 5, 1949. F. E. SCHAEFFER 2,475,257

TELEGRAPH KEY Filed March 23, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Frank E. Sc/vae/fer July 5, 1949. F. E. SCHAEFFER TELEGRAPH KEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 23, 1948 JNVENTOR. Fran/r 5. 60/202 ffer 7Z0fiymqflwrwz dim/W472 Patented July 5, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TELEGRAPH KEY Frank E. Schaeffer, Gilroy, Calif.

Application March 23, 1948, Serial No. 16,567

4 Claims.

This invention relates to base units and .devices for telegraph or radio sending machines, and particularly to a base which may be readily applied to such a machine to facilitate reliable response of operation thereof and broaden the scope of such operation.

The main object of my invention is to provide a special base for such sending machines which makes it possibles to use a much lighter construction of the sending machine as a whole and yet broadens its scope and field of operation, the lighter over-all construction conferring portability of the machine which is desirable for ship operators and others who often must change their locations.

Another object is to have a base of the indicated character which eliminates the usual sideslipping of sending machines on the table supporting the same, and thus facilitates using these machines and speeding up operation.

A further object is to have a base of the mentioned type which is quickly and easily placed in position on the sending instrument and is readily removed therefrom when desired.

It is likewise an object to have a sending ,machine base which forms a detachable unit which is simply applied by pressure into immediately operative position and retained in place by friction, and also as readily detached by lifting the unit off the sending machine.

it is even an object to have such a sending machine base which is simple and light in construction and readily manufactured at reasonable cost.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more fully disclosed in detail as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate comprehensive understanding of the invention and its use, the latter is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a sender for telegraph or radio use with the invention applied thereon;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of same seen from what is the top in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken on line 3-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is another transverse section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the frame of the device embodying the invention;

Figure 6 is an end elevation of the same frame as seen from the right in Figure 5;

Figure '7 is a plan view of the frame of Fi ure 5;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the complete apparatus embodying the invention and its features; and

Figure 9 is a circuit diagram.

Throughout the eight views, the same reference numerals indicate the same parts.

In the communication art it is highly desirable to increase convenience and speed as well as responsiveness of manually-operated instruments used by telegraphers, and especially to render operation certain without compromising or in any way sacrificing conveniences already available in connection with such instruments. The reason for this is obvious, because speeding up communications is an important matter in commerce today and everything that can contribute to that one end is immediately adopted as soon as available.

Certain means have already been designated for the purpose of speeding up operation, and especially for transmitting the dot signals in telegraphic messages and codes, but the devices heretofore used for this purpose have rendered the transmitters and sending machines or devices rather heavy and therefore precluded their being portable. It is one object of the present invention to place upon an extremely light sending instrument a light, detachable unit which makes it readily possible to transmit dots and otherwise .also use the regular sending key for the dots and dashes making up the code which is used for the messages, as will now be described in detail.

In the practice of my invention, and referring again to the accompanying drawings, a telegraph or radio sending machine of conventional design, generally indicated at 9 (Figures 1, 2 and 4) is surmounted by a detachable base-operating unit generally indicated at H1, but in order to provide the proper locale for the latter, the sending mechanism or instrument will first be at least partly described. The sender primarily includes a typical base portion H having the two pivot posts l2, l2 with adjustable pivot screws l3, l3 between which the intermediate transverse portion [4 of the manual key I5 is pivotally mounted. The usual adjustable rear stop I6 is mounted upon the rear end ll of the key, and the forward end carries the finger knob l8, while intermediately this key has a downwardly-directed screw l9 provided with a compression spring 20 at the bottom thereof bearing against part of base portion "ll. Upon the under side,

the key has a contact 2|, and corresponding thereto is an insulated contact 22 on the base portion connected by a plate 23 to an insulated binding post 24 mounted on said base portion, the latter having another binding post 25 mounted directly thereon. The previously-mentioned spring 29 tends to raise the key and normally maintain it so that the two contacts remain apart, but switch lever 26 is rearwardly pivoted to base portion H by a screw 27 and at the other end it is adapted to be optionally shifted into effective contact with end lug 28 of plate 23 when the key is to be shunted out.

Directing attention at this juncture specifically to the detachable base unit [0, the latter primarily includes a, sheet metal frame consisting of a generally horizontal plate portion 29 having at one side an upwardly-bent elongated plate 30 having the forward end formed into a substantially square housing 3 l but at the other end terminating in the rear extension 32. A transverse plate 33 secured beneath the horizontal plate portion 29 has a pair of downwardly-bent clamping plate members 34, 35 virtually forming a channel secured thereto by rivets or by soldering or brazing, these members having arcuate clearance portions 36, 31 intermediate their ends to clear the sending key l6, being virtually divided thereby into four clamping fingers.

However, the clamping plate members serve to clamp the previously-described pivot posts I2, l2 fore and aft and frictionally retain the base unit in position thereon. When rivets 3B, 39 are included to hold plate portions 29 and 33 in assembled relation, they are adapted to form stops resting directly on the pivot posts. In order to facilitate lifting off and removing the base unit from these posts, plate 33 terminates in an upwardly-bent finger piece or lug 40. The clamping means just described constitutes the sole means by which the base unit is retained in assembled association with the sending machine or bug, as it is frequently termed in telegraphers circles, and as no screws or other fastening means are involved, the unit is quite easily removed by liftin it oil" by the finger engaging beneath projecting lug 4E! and thereby sliding clamping plates upwardly from engagement with pivot posts [2, I 2. Replacement of the unit is performed with the same ease by merely pushing the same down into position on the posts mentioned.

The base unit is provided with a pair of pivot mountings 4|, 42 in the base plate 29 and the top 43 of housing 3 I, between which is mounted vertical pivot shaft 44 of a swiveled operating member 45 having at its inner end the side lugs 46 between which is pivotally mounted manually-operated member 4'! on a pivot pin 48, the outer end of this member 41 having a pair of finger pieces 49 rigidly fixed thereon by a bolt 50 and are adjacent to, but spaced out of contact with, finger knob is of the sending key or tapping lever. In the side wall of the housing 3| and its continuation 30 are two adjustable stops 5| and 52 projecting inwardly predetermined distances toward the operating member 45 and spaced in substantially balanced opposite directions from pivot shaft 44. In the opposite wall 53 of the housing is mounted an adjusting screw 54 having a compression spring 55 upon its inner end bearing against the manually-operative member 4! and thereby biasing the associated operating member 45 normally against stop 52. The latter operating member 45 has a leaf spring 46 secured thereto and projecting rearwardly a distance corresponding to the rearward extension of rear lug 32 of wall 39, and mounted at a variable distance rearwardly on this spring is an adjustable weight 51 having a set screw 58 to fix the weight in any desired position along said spring.

Assocated with the latter spring is a U-shaped resilient contact 59, and mounted upon the forward end of manually-operated member 47 within finger pieces 39 is a second contact 60. In order to cooperate with operating contacts 59 and 60 just described, a pair of special insulated contacts are included, now to be more minutely detailed. Upon the base plate 23 is mounted a contact plate 6| insulated therefrom by a sheet of insulation 62, but secured in place by a, contact post 63 which extends up through these parts and projects downwardly from the housing and is insulated therefrom by an insulating washer 64. From the lower end of post 63 projects a resilient helical contact 55 normally bearing upon contact lug 25 of connecting plate 23 of the sending machine. Rearwardly, the contact plate 6| has -a post 56 with a manually-adjustable contact 61 mounted thereon in registry with resilient contact 55. Upon the forward portion at one side and spaced within housing wall 53, the contact plate 5! has an outwardly-bent contact lug 68 in which is mounted a further adjustable contact member 69 at its inner ends registering with operating contact 56.

The arrangement is such that when the base unit is in position for clamping plates 34 and 35 gripping the sender key pivot posts [2, l 2 and contact spring or member 65 communicating with insulated contact plate BI is in active contact with lower connecting plate 23, manual movement of finger pieces 49 in the direction of arrow '10 will shift operating member 41 on pivot 46 to close contacts 65 and 69 and thereby send a dash signal. The movement of the finger pieces in the direction of arrow ll will cause operating member 45 to swing on pivot 44 to leave stop 52 and instead contact abruptly with sto 5| and thereby cause leaf spring 56 and its weight 57 to vibrate horizontally and simultaneously vibrate resilient contact 59 to make a series of rapid physical contacts with stationary contact 61 and thus send a series of equal dot signals. If the latter are to be more frequent, set screw 58 is released and weight 51 slid a distance inwardly on spring 56 and the set screw again fixed in place. Should the vibrations of the spring be too rapid, the weight should be adjusted by sliding it out further toward the end of the spring and the set screw again tightened. The finger pieces with the connected operating members 45 and 41, taken together with the spring 56 and weight 51, constitute a vibrating lever by which to speed up the sending of messages at a more rapid rate than possible with the regular sending key or tapping lever 15, and which controls the same circuit as the latter.

In the combined sending machine or apparatus described and also as largely indicated in the circuit diagram of Figure 9, the base member ll, key l5, pivot posts l2, clamping plates 34, 35 with plate 29, wall 36 and housing 3|, pivot mountings 4| and 42, pivot shaft 44 and the entire vibrating lever just referred to with its contacts 59 and 65 are all of the same polarity and derive current from binding post 25 fixed directly on base member II. From the other insulated binding post '24 current communicates through connecting plate 23 with pendent contact post 63 through contact sprin or member 65 resting on said plate, and then with insulated contact plate BI and lfinal y with adjacent adjusta le OQRt'aCl'ISiBZ' I and 59,;6i 2h fl will clos th c cu whe the resp ctive zl ver c ntacts 59 and '6 ind v d ally make physical conta t t ere it n t circuit diagram .of the mentioned Figure 19 certain parts have been conventionalized and altered in shape so as to differ to some extent from ,the actual illustration in the other ,eight figures ;of the drawings for the purpose of clarity of the circuit diagram. A-s thepreviously mentioned ty-pe oflopenagtionis known, further discussion thereof would seem to be unnecessary. However, the mere placing of the base unit in positior-i on the sendingapparatus automatically makes all necessary con- ;tactsbetweenthe two units for immediate operation assembly thereof, ,w-hile separation (of these units also automatically breaks contact between them and reduces the original sendin apparatus to operation by key .or tapping lever l5.

Erom the foregoing, it is self-evident that :the

apparatus described affords a telegraph operator ,the epportunity of using the traditional style of telegraph sending by the tapping lover or key, or sending ,with the superposed base unitembodying the invention by the vibrating lever at greatly increased speed.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to and parts and features vmay be modified or used with- .pllt others within the scope .of the appended la m Having now fully described my invention, I

claim:

1. A detachable base-operating unit adapted to be mounted upon a sending apparatus having a base, .a pair of pivot posts, a tapping lever or key pivotally supported by the pivot posts and an insulated plate of opposite polarity than that of the base with its pivot posts and tapping lever, said base-operating unit including a base plate haying a plurality of downwardiy-directed clamping portions spaced apart and normally clamping the pivot posts between them when the base plate is mounted thereon, a bottom pivot mounting in the base plate, a second pivot mounting supported above the bottom pivot mounting, an operating member having pivot means engaging with the two pivot mountings, there being at least one finger piece associated with the operating member at one end thereof adjacent to but spaced above the tapping lever, a loaded leaf spring fixed upon the other end of the operating member, two stops supported upon said base plate upon one side of said operating member limiting the amplitude of movement thereof on said pivot mountings, a contact plate supported on said base plate but insulated therefrom, a downward projection upon the contact plate having contact means at the lower end thereof normally bearing upon and making effective contact with the first-mentioned insulated plate, two fixed contacts supported on the contact plate and spaced at opposite distances from the axes of said pivot means, a contact mounted upon a portion of said operating member within the end associated with said finger piece and registering with one of the fixed contacts, a resilient contact mounted upon said operating member adjacent to the leaf spring thereof and registering with the other of said fixed contacts, means resiliently biasing said operating member against one of said two stops and spacing the resilient contact a maximum distance from its corresponding fixed contact, and means facilitating removal of the base operating unit from said sending apparatus.

:2. Aidetachable ibase ioperating unit adapted :to .be mountedupon a sending apparatus having a sbase, a pair of pivot posts, a tapping lever or key ,pivotallysupportedqby-the pivot posts and an insulated plate of opposite polarity than that of the base with its pivot posts and tapping lever, said @uni-t including a base plate having a plurality of ,downwardlyedirected clamping plates spaced :apart and normally clamping the pivot posts :between them when the base plate is mounted ,thereon, a .hollow housing rigid with a portion 10f the base ,plate having opposite side walls and -,a top with the latter plate forming the bottom thereof, pivot mountings in the top and bottom -ofthe housing, a manually-operated ,member ,having pivot means engaging with the pivot mountings in the housing, two fixed stops spaced apart in one side wall of the latter :to limit amplitude of movement of the manuallypperated member on said pivot mountings, a further manually-operated member pivoted at the rear thereof to the corresponding rear portion .of the first-mentioned manually-operated member and at the other endfhaving at least one finger piece fixed thereon above but out of con- .tact with the tapping lever, a'rearwardly-directed leaf spring secured upon the rear end of the firstmentioned manuallyeoperated member having an adjustably fixed weight mounted thereon, a contact plate fixed on the base plate and having a forwardly-extending portion projecting into said housing and terminating in an upwardlybent lug spaced from the opposite side wall of .Said housing, insulating means insulating the contact plate from said base plate, a stationary contact upon the "last-mentioned lug, a second stationary contact mounted upon a portion of the contact plate disposed rear-wardiy of said 'hQ sing, :a contact upon the forward portion of the firstementioned manually-operated member registering with the first-mentioned stationary contact, a resilient U-shaped contact mounted rearwardly in permanent association with the leaf spring in registry with the second stationary contact on said contact plate, a spring mounted in said housing and bearing against the second manually-operated member and biasing both manually-operated members toward one of the two fixed stops and normally spacing the resilient U-shaped contact at a maximum distance from the second stationary contact, and an upwardly-projecting finger piece rigid upon a side portion of the base plate of one of the pivot posts of the sending apparatus facilitating removal of the base-operating unit from the latter apparatus.

3. A detachable base-operating unit adapted to be mounted upon a sendin apparatus having a base, a pair of pivot posts, a tapping lever or key pivotally supported by the pivot posts and an insulated plate of opposite polarity than that of the base with its pivot posts and tapping lever, said unit including a base plate having a pair of downwardly-directed clamping plates spaced apart and normally clamping the pivot posts frictionally between them when the base plate is mounted thereon, the clamping plates being transversely disposed and having intermediate upwardly-extending clearance portions for clearing the tapping lever and allowing free operation of the latter, a forwardly and rearwardly-open housing rigid with a forward portion of the base plate having opposite side walls and a top with the latter plates forming the bottom thereof, pivot mountings in the top and bottom of the housing, a manually-operated member having pivot means engaging with the pivot mountings in the housing, two fixed stops spaced apart in one side wall of the latter to limit amplitude of movement of the manually-operated member on said pivot mountings, a rearward extension on the mentioned one side wall of the housing, a further manually-operated member pivoted at the rear end thereof to the corresponding rear portion of the first-mentioned manually-operated member and at the other end having at least one finger piece fixed thereon above but disposed out of contact with the tapping member, an elongated leaf spring secured upon the rear end of the firstmentioned manually-operated member and projecting rearwardly substantially to the same extent as the rearward extension of said one side wall of said housing, the first-mentioned manually-operated member having an adjustably fixed weight mounted thereon, a contact plate fixed on the base plate and having a forwardly-extending portion projecting into said housing and terminating in an upwardly-bent lug spaced from the opposite side Wall of said housing, insulating means insulating the contact plate from said base plate, a stationary contact upon the last-mentioned lug, a second stationary contact mounted upon a portion of the contact plate disposed rearwardly of said housing, a contact upon the forward portion of the first-mentioned manuallyoperated member registering with the first-mentioned stationary contact, a resilient U-shaped contact mounted rearwardly in permanent association with the leaf spring in registry with the second stationary contact on said contact plate, a spring mounted in said housing bearing against the second manually-operated member and biasing both manually-operated members toward one of the two fixed stops and normally spacing the resilient U-shaped contact at a maximum distance from the second stationary contact, and an upwardly-projecting finger piece rigid upon a side portion of the base plate above one of the pivot posts of the sending apparatus facilitatin manual removal of the base-operating unit from the latter apparatus by liftin the same off said latter apparatus.

4. A base-operating unit for a telegraph or radio sending apparatus having a base with a pair of upwardly-directed pivot posts, a tapping lever pivotally mounted between the pivot posts and an insulated connecting member of opposite polarity than that of the base with its pivot posts and tapping lever, said base-operating unit including a plate member adapted to overlie portions of said sending apparatus and having a pair of clamping plates spaced apart and extending pendently downward and normally clamping the pivot posts of the sending apparatus therebetween when the unit is in place upon the latter, a finger piece projecting rigidly from a portion of the plate member above one of said pivot posts for facilitating removal of said unit from said sending apparatus, two insulated contacts supported upon said plate member and normally connected to the insulated connecting member of the sending apparatus, and a manually-operated vibratin lever mounted upon a portion of said plate member and having a pair of contacts registerin with said two contacts and adapted individually to make alternative contact therewith.

FRANK E. SCHAEF'FER.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS are of record in the Number 

